Like most teams, road trips are one of the most exciting times during the year. No matter how long they seem to be, they are a great place for stories to be born. People may think nothing exciting happens between rinks, but players have other ideas.

At 5:00 a.m., players begin to arrive at the Edge Ice Arena for their long awaited trip to Bloomington, Illinois. You would think that every player would be tired and groggy, but a full season of 6:00 a.m. practices have prepared them for an early wake up time. In the locker room, players are assigned jobs such as: packing the stick bag,  picking up all jerseys and socks, grabbing all the water bottles, and, of course, each player is responsible for his own gear. As the players lumber onto the bus, the back of the bus is reserved for the “V.I.Ps.” As the players fill the bus, the trip begins.

Given the snowy cold morning, players have brought blankets and pillows to try to sleep the entire bus trip and prepare for the game. Most players, however, scream to stop for food no more than 10 minutes into the trip. The popular spot for the team to stop is McDonalds. After the players have had their fill and left the restaurant, a player is designated to come from the back of the bus to start a movie. This will usually keep the players satisfied for a couple of hours. Once players are finished enjoying a movie or a much-needed nap, they begin to enjoy the  outside surroundings and scenery. One final stop is made at a gas station a half hour before they reach the hotel. Players swarm the gas station and are held in check by Coach Wiedenhoeft. After another half hour of driving, the players will finally reach their destination.

Each player is assigned roommates, with four players to a room. All four goalies are placed in the same room. Although most rooms are moderately quiet, the players are buzzing, getting ready for their first game. Each player showers and dresses to kill. Then, they all head to the bus, taking their respective seats and preparing in their own way so that they can play their best.

After a rough loss in the first game, the team heads back to the bus. Although the game is over, they still have two more games to play. The bus will take the players to eat dinner and relax. At dinner, they are loud but respectful of the people around them. After the players have had as much as they could eat, they return to the rink to watch the professional Bloomington Blaze face off. After a long day, the Bandits head back to the bus and to the hotel to get a well-deserved rest.

An early Saturday starts off with a team breakfast at the hotel. After the players have eaten, they head outside to play a game of soccer. This turned out to be one of the best team-bonding experiences of the year, although the soccer ball got kicked into a tree. It took the players a half hour to finally retrieve the ball and head back to the warmth of the hotel.

Game number two fared no different for the Bandits, as they dropped their fourth straight. The players knew after two long days they would need to focus and regroup for the next day. The players, however, would not let the loss dampen their spirits. They attended a second Blaze game and bound even more, becoming more of a team. The players headed home that night with smiles on their faces but fires in their hearts to beat the Jr. Blaze in the morning.

Packing up on the early mornings is a sight you may want to miss. Players care less about their appearence and more about the game at hand. As the players pack all their belongings, they leave their rooms empty and head to the final game of the road trip.

Getting swept on the weekend is something no one wants or expects. What is expected though, is that each player will bounce back and come prepared to the next practice. The bus is a quieter place and not so full of joy. As the ride continues and players shake off the results of the game, the team becomes more lively.Players in the back of the bus throw fake punches and wrestle each other. Players in the front crack jokes and enjoy the movie that is playing.

After an exhausting weekend, the bus finally arrives back in Holland. The players unpack and clean the bus. Each player is responsible for his gear and grabbing equipment or trash off the bus. The weekend is finally over and players let out a sigh. This sigh is not be of relief but of what they could have done better. The players know they need to regroup and come out strong against the Soo Firehawks on their home stand the following weekend.